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About The west shore. (Portland, Or.) 1875-1891 | View Entire Issue (May 1, 1882)
May, 1882. THE WEST SHORE. 9 THE CARP. G. L. CURRY. The acreage in culti vation this year ities of the nnadromous salmon, whose is by far the largest in the history of the limited season of use as an article of diet Pacific Northwest, and the prospect for qualifies the theory of its impracticabili general good crops and remunerative ty to that result of propagation which prices were never better. would diminish the expensiveness to a 1 J ' dVprrpe. rermittinc the nconle of unv w o 1 1 J class throughout the land to subsist from it, and the remainder of the genus satmo. and rccogniiine the fact Carp-Mahcoptergian. cyprinid cypri,,us- that th(J , t find h , Body round, with large scales; plump. A single 0f f00d as is easilv kent in suonlv we elongated dorsal fin. Fleshy lips ; small mouth, T " " n"P,P with a barbel at the upper part of each comer of recluire to find that vnnety fish wh,ch the mouth in the common species, and a smaller 18 as we" adapted to artificial propaga one above. Teeth in the pharynx, none in the tion in the lands of the interior of this jaw. Ventrals behind the pectorals, without any country as elsewhere, and not that kind, connection with the bone, of the scapular arch. native of QUr count which being in. The second dorsal ray and first annal serated pos- , , , , . . . , teriorly. Tail forked. Twelve rows of scales be- CBPable f SUch ProP"gat,on. 18 reflu,, cd tween the ventral and dorsal fins. Lives to ex- ,0 be deprived of its vitality and shorn treme old age. of its fresh succulent qualities, then The attention now being paid to the canned and shipped to the people at artificial propagation of fishes, occasion- large- In the Iom1 carP of Europe we ed by an uncertain supply of that par- our Re ticular article of food, as well as actuated The carp is a malncopterginn fish, of with a desire of contributing in a degree the family cyprinidie, genus cypnnus, the labor which goes to make any en- China was the first country which culti terprise successful, and especially for the vated the carp. From there Persia re mild enjoyment experienced by one pos- ceived them, and from which time their sessed of a taste for such diversion, and migration continued westward, winding the abundance of enquiry on the subject up in England about the fourteenth cen of fish culture, demonstrates unequivo- tury. And not until at least four hun cally the importance of that element oHdred years had rolled by did carp find natural economy which seems to require their way across the Atlantic and appear some correct analysis and apt treatise. in America. In 1872, however, the The waters of our state are abundant- United States Fish Commission, having ly inhabited with an extensive variety already perceived the advisability of in of fishes. But it embraces that kind troducing food-fishes into this country which is the most difficult of cultivation, imported three of the best varieties of Their adaptability to the series of food carp. The consignment was skil- transitions they require to undergo in fully managed and superintended by a the practices of fish culture is such practical and learned German fish cul- as will permit of the introduction turist, who was brought over from the of a variety of fish, the character- old world purposely for the business; istics of which would consist of those and under his apt care the fish soon ine qualities required in the artificial propa- tiplied to such an extent that a system of gation of fishes. And such a family of distribution was entered upn inruuKn. fish as this is to-dav absorbing the atten- out the Union. And from this lot sprung tion of many people throughout the the present supply of carp in America. land. It is THE EUROPEAN FOOD CARP, , A fish which, existing for a thousand years in a country unpossessed of the facilities for transmitting the products of their industry and rewarded research even to a kindred, or of imparting to the world the knowledge unquestion ably gained by fortune and taught from necessity in the discovery of a distinct food-fish stands to-day before pisci culturists as the one eminently calculated to become the fish-food reserve of the world. Laying aside the palatable qual- Attention is called to the engraving of the carp, accompanied with detail of description prefacing this article. The knowledge requisite in the sue cessful rearing of carp has not been disseminated with much profusion yet iallv. I oresume, to the amount of ignorance maintained in gen Cra) of such a pursuit, occasioned ccr tainly by an inopportunity of application to the enterprise. But in the discourse T maw nrnrppri to follow which has 1 IW " been written in demand o the many inquiries of our country people, th carp itself will be the first theme of consid eration, followed by such particles of nformation applicable to its culture as the writer is able to prctlucc irom a practical knowledge of such subjects and Hie scant JaU fioiu which to cuiw. The cvprinus carpio is of golden olive brown hue, with a light belly and dark ish fins. The Bize depends upon the age: in one year's growth they have been known to increase in length from 4 to 2 inches. Of the most valued characteristics of the carp, that of fecun dity takes prominence. The female carp has been known to produce annual ly near 500,000 eggs. The spawn at taches itself to the water herbage and floating objects about the surface of the water, where it becomes developed by the influence of the solar light and heat, in about thirty days. With us the carp spawn about May, and within one sea son of multiplication will have produced sufficient young to necessitate removal into another pond. Living largely on vegetable diet, yet capable of thriving on food of most any kind, they can be reared with but little expense in restricted waters. They are pussion ately fond of water cress of the cluss tetradynamia, nasturtrium nmi(iain, and other water vegetation, and will as eagerly devour worms, lurviu insects, all vegetable and animal refuse of the kitchen, agricultural and economical products of little value. The carp Is susceptible of being bred in any water, but that of t lukewarm and sluggish nature, such as ponds with soft or mud dy bottoms, marsh lakes and meadow ditches is to be preferred. They hibernate during the winter by burying them selves in the mud at the bottoms of the ponds and remaining in that torpid state the entire cold scusun, reappearing in the spring with no marked decrease in size or condition. Having an instinc of keeping in company, they will be often seen in schools, wandering about the ponds. In carp culture, one ton per acre i feasible. And to give an Idea of the immensity of this produce, as an indus try, engaging the attention of an entire populace in some districts of the world I will speak of Germany, a great coun try for piscatorial pursuit, which de rives an enormous income from her fisheries. In many places in Germany it is said the puddles in the streets are utilized as ponds for the keeping of two year eld carps, from which distant J